Prithu then commenced a series of Asvamedha Yajnas. During the performance of the hundredth, Indra twice stole away the sacrificial horse, but Prithu’s son restored it on both the occasions. The performer of one hundred Asvamedha sacrifices becomes an Indra. This was the cause of Indra’s fear. Prithu could not bear the disgraceful conduct of Indra and he resolved to kill him. The Rishis dissuaded him and even Brahmâ and Vishnu appeared to soothe the offended King and restore his friendship with Indra. Vishnu explained to Prithu that he had enough to do as a king of the earth and as a preserver of the people and that he should not aspire to become Indra, who had his duties as well. Sometime after, the Sanat Kumar brothers appeared before the King and taught him the way to Mukti. He made over the kingdom to his son Vijitâsva and retired into the forest. At last he gave up the body and went to Vaikuntha. THOUGHT ON THE ABOVE. [We left the Monad in its protoplasmic state. The protoplasmic mass began to spread out limbs (Anga). But the development of limbs was not an unmixed blessing, for Anga became wedded to the daughter of Death. There was no death in the protoplasm. The offspring of the first connexion with death was Vena. The root _ven_ means to move. The first moving protoplasmic mass had too much of unruliness in it, and it was not therefore fitted for _yajna_ or evolution. It had to be brought under the law and the black element was churned out. That black element of Tamas had to wait till the time of the great dissolution. Vishnu had to incarnate at this stage as Prithu to suffuse the material mass with _satva_ and thereby make it conscious. The course of evolution received a great impetus. The Monad had passed through elemental and mineral stages. Organic life had already appeared. Matter had passed through the grossness and immobility of Tamas and the irregular, impulsive and purposeless movements of Rajas, till it became permeated with Satva, when those movements assumed the regularity of conscious acts. The consciousness of Satva made the future evolution or _yajna_ teem with big possibilities. Earth could no longer keep back the seeds of the vegetable creation in her bosom. Her surface became levelled and she looked green with vegetation. She brought forth all her latent life-energies and life-evolution commenced in right earnest under the guidance of the first King energised by Vishnu for the preservation of the universe. But that King was not to exceed the proper bounds. He was not to usurp the functions of Indra. The Devas are the executive officers of the Rishis in the cyclic administration of the universe and their work is more on cyclic than on individual lines. The kings however as representing Manu have to deal directly with Monads and Egos and have to guide them according to the light of the Rishis. Prithu was asked by Vishnu to keep himself within the bounds of kingly duties.]